Ménage À Garage (MÀG) is a pop punk power trio from Washington, DC. MÀG is known for “crushing venues across the region with their heavy, yet simple, melodic rock beckoning a return to the music of previous decades.” (Dominion Collective) MÀG’s submission to the NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest was selected by WAMU’s Bandwidth as one of DC's "top 10" submissions, and its song "The Stroke" was named one of the "51 Best Songs to Come Out of the 51st State" in 2018 by Random Nerds.
MÀG performs cathartic rock, known for its affecting melodies, heartfelt lyrics, driving rhythms, and energetic shows. Sincere, smart and angst-filled, MÀG songs are simple and catchy on the surface, but are textured and complex underneath. The song “You Get the Wiser” from MÀG's second EP "Throw My Doubts on the Fire" is featured on the 2017's Skunk Roundup compilation, “Bummer Summer”. In the summer of 2018, MÀG released its third EP "More Human Than You."
MetroMusicScene described the single "Take It As It Comes": "Jangly guitars and singsong vocals anoint this band as a spiritual successor of that Dischord post-punk sound, as well as the genre-defying rock of bands like The Weakerthans and Built To Spill."
"They go beyond one label... there are elements of 60s British mod music, harmonized gang vocals, and fantastic start/stop breakdowns that reminded me of a certain local post-hardcore band that many people seem to enjoy.” (Punk News)
"At half-time a middle-aged rock band — Ménage a Garage — scorch the floor." (Financial Times UK, from a DC Rollergirls bout)
On March 31, 2020, MÀG released "Stay the Fuck Home", a new song, video and Coronavirus PSA featuring local DC musicians, in one of the first crowdsourced musical products of the pandemic.
While on hiatus from IRL music-making for much of 2020, MÀG looks forward to the new administration and to getting vaccinated in 2021.
MÀG is John Nolt on lead vocals and guitar, Jenny Thomas on bass, and Dave Edson on drums. John and Jenny met while performing in a showcase organized by Flashband and later met Dave through the band Red Moon Preachers. They rehearse at DC music studio, 7DrumCity Since 2001, John has served as creative director and sugar daddy for the venerable online songwriting competition SongFight. By day, Jenny helps save the arts and live music at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP).